The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-11-02
Soloiers' Budget.
Growth of the Grand Army.

The growth of the Grand Army
of the Republic is one of the most
marked and conspicuous of the social
phenomena of the time. On March
81, 1882, the order numbered SS,965
men in good standing. The gain since
then has been steady and rapid, the
aggregate membership on June 30,
1887, being 1886, 572. As the adiutant-
generals report states that there has
been net increase of 52,2S7 since
April LIST this year, the organization at
the present time has upon its rolls the
names of 1873 1888 men in good standing.
When the conditions are considered,
the increase in the ranks of the Grand
Army is truly surprising exhibit.
The aggregate number of troops fur
nished for all periods of service by
all the states and territories was
1850, 1872. In this number of course
occur thousands of persons who
enlisted more than once. Reduced
to the uniform three years standard,
the total number of enlistments was
2,320,272. Death and desertion re-
duced this list to such an extent that
the number of individual veterans re-
ceiving honorable discharge perhaps
did not exceed 100000 or /, 500, 600.
The grim reaper has been busy with
that hardy and intrepid band in the past
twenty-five years. 1t is true the vet
Grams who marched in the procession in
st. Louis this week are at least as
sturdy and vigorous as the same num-
Der of men of equal age, gathered, as
they are, from all classes in any COM
munity. The soldiers, however, were,
in certain sense, picked men. AT the
time of their enlistment they were,
generally speaking, the flower of the
nation. The number who were unable
to pass the examination preliminary to
their acceptance as soldiers was so large
that the simple fact of service in the
army furnishes certificate of physical
vigor at the time of entrance into the
service whose reliability cannot be
impeached. But the tolls and pri
vations which the veterans en-.
dured undoubtedly were severe enough
der of the Union to an average eX
', tent of from eight to ten years. Few
of them who are still living are under
forty-two years of age, while most Of
them are six or eight years older thar
this. And yet, although the veteran;
) are gradually decreasing in numbers
the principal organization, composed
entirely of veterans, is steadily anC
rapidly growing in membership. Tel
, years ago it comprised only a small pro
portion of the surviving ex-soldiers
To-day it numbers perhaps one-half o.
them, while twenty years hence in al
. probability it will bear upon its rolls the
names of nearly all the living defender
of the Union in the war of 1876
However, circumstances have set
limit to the growth of the Grand Arm,
of the Republic. For reasons which
are unnecessary to mention here tina
limit will be reached before many NOR
years have passed. The gathering il
, st. Louis has been the largest in tn,
. history of the organization thus far. Ii
) all human probability it will never b.
r greatly exceeded in numbers, if it shout,
e be exceeded at all. The appearance o
e most of the 10000 veterans who hav
assembled at st. Louis this week wa
= suggestive of anything but death. AN
yet, in the natural course of events
death is certain to come to many o
them within the next twelve months
Out vi tllc lA,UUO lucu WIZ Wclc III III
in the great parade on Wednesday per
haps 500 will have died before the meet
ing of the next annual encampment
The veterans are passing away
Twenty-Five years hence even tn
youngest and most vigorous of ther
will be aged and feeble. Twenty-fv
years later, by the time the child borl
in 1887 reaches middle age, they Wi
be as rare as the survivors of the wa
of 1912 are to-day. Ten years ago the
were being" mustered out " by reg
ments. At the present time they ar
being " mustered out " by brigades
ten years hence they will be " mustere
out " by divisions. In all probab ilit
there were persons among the specta
tors in this city when the great process
sion passed this week who will still b
living when the celestial drum-bea
60 taps " for the last of the veterans o
the war between the states.-St. Loui
Globe Democrat.